Method of making coconut emulsion



Oct. 31, 1944. v J, F, MCCASHEN 2,361,697

METHOD OF MAKING COCONUT EMULSION Original Filed Dec. 23, 1938 INVENTOR.JAMES F? M CASHEN ATTORNEYS tit Patented Oct. 31, 1944 2,361,697 METHODor MAKING COCONUT EMULSION James F. McOashen, Bay Village, Ohio,assig'nor,

by mesne assignments, to Roto-Cu-t Corporation, a corporation of OhioOriginal application December 23, 1938, Serial Divided and thisapplication No. 247,385, April 6, 1942, Serial No. 437,731

' 4 Claims.

This invention relates to the art of cutting materials and isparticularly concerned with a new and improved method of making coconutemulsion from shredded coconut.

In the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification,

Figure l is a diagrammatic, side elevational View of one form ofapparatus embodying the present invention and suitable for use incarrying out the present process;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view'taken on line 33 of Fig. 2;

Figures 4 and 5 are, respectively, side and edge views of one form of asuitable, rotatable comminuting member;

Figures 6 and 7 are corresponding views of another and modified form ofcomminuting member; and

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary detail sectional view taken on line8-8 of Fig. l.

The apparatus shownin the drawing is generally like that of UnitedStates Patent No. 1,738,918. It has a cylinder I which is supported onrollers 2 carried by housing 3, so that the cylinder may rotate aboutits longitudinal, horizontally disposed axis. The cylinder is rotated bybelt 4 which passes around the greater part of the circumference of thecylinder and is actuated by a pulley 5 driven by a belt 6 from motor i.The idler roller 8 maintains the desired tension on the belt 4.

Within the cylinder is disposed the rotatable comminuting devicegenerally indicated as an entirety at 9. This device 9 consistspreferably of a plurality of discs I9 secured to a rotatable shaft I I,the longitudinal axis of which is horizontal and is disposed adjacent tothe downwardly moving side of the cylinder and below a horizontal planepassing through the axis of cylinder I and well to one side of avertical plane passing through the same axis. Preferably, the axis ofdevice 9 is disposed on a plane passing thru the axis of the cylinderand inclined between about 30 and 60 degrees to a vertical plane passingthrough the axis of the cylinder I. Device 9 is partly enclosed byhousing l2 and is rotated by belt [3 from motor 1. Both cylinder I anddevice 9 rotate in the same direction, but

the peripheral speed of device 9 is preferably much greater than that ofcylinder 1;

The periphery of device 9is preferably roughened, for example, as shownat 1'4 and I5 in roughening of discs III, as shown in these figures,takes the form of teeth, the leading transverse surfaces of which aresubstantially perpendicular to the side surfaces of members i0, and thatthese teeth may extend forwardly from their roots to their tips in thedirection of rotation. These teeth may have outwardly converging sidesurfaces as shown in Fig. .5, or the teeth may haveset as in a saw andas is shownin Figs; 6 and '7. It will be understood that device 9 mayhave various forms other than that shown. For example, it may have anuninterrupted periphery, i. e., one free from teeth such as I4 and I5 ofFigs.-4 and 6, or it may be a partial or mutilated disc with acircumferentially extending edge.

A deflector i6 is disposed withincylinder I to divert the material fromits travel along a circular path on the inner surface of the cylinderinto contact with the comminuting means 9. The deflector shown istriangular in cross section with its apex being uppermost and with itsupper edge I! resting against the inner surface of cylinder I and itsinner surface 19 making an obtuse angle with the inner surface ofcylinder 1. Defiectorfli is carried by opposite arms 20 rotatablymounted at their upper ends on bolts 2| which project thru slots inbrackets 22 securedto housing3 and blocks 23 which may slide on arcuateguides 24 on brackets 22. The position of deflector [6 may be adjustedby loosening nuts on bolts 2| and shifting blocks 29 and may be fixed bytightening the nuts. This apparatus permits movement of the deflectoraway from the inner surface of cylinder I and also permits adjustment ofthe deflector into positions at different distances from device 9.

It will be understood that by placing deflector it in differentpositions relative to device 9 the material may be deflected so as tostrike device 9 more or less radially or tangentially, or between theseextremes, as desired. It has been found that there is slightly lessheating of the material during the comminuting operation when thematerial strikes device 9substantially tangentially than when it strikedevice 9 sub stantially radial-1y. For example, whencocoa beans arebeing comminuted the temperature of the material .may average about I20degrees F., when it strikes device 9 moreor less tangen-' tially ascompared with aboutfl30' degrees? when it strikes more or lessradially.However, the speed of comminuting i -rmostrapidwhen the material is so:deflectedto strike device 9 Figs. 4, 5, 6 and '7. .It will be notedthat the 5 more 01 less a a y.

The apparatus of the device shown in the drawing, operates substantiallyas follows: When the cylinder I and device 9 are being rotated clock-Wise, as indicated, a material to be comminuted is brought into thecylinder I, preferably just above device 9 and'between it and thecylinder, altho the material may be brought into contact with the innersurface of cylinder I below the device 9. Such material will immediatelybe subjected to centrifugal force by the cylinder and will be carried bythe cylinder along the circular path of the inner surface of thecylinder.

When the material, being so carried by the cylinder I, comes intocontactwith deflector [6, the material-Will be deflected from thecircular path of the cylinder and into contact with the roughenedsurfaces on device 9. These surfaces, or teeth, Will forcibly interceptthe thus deflected material and will throw it back onto the innersurface of the cylinder. The sizes of particles of materialsointercepted will be reduced by the roughened surfaces on device 9 eitherby a shearing or breaking operation when the particles strike thosesurfaces and the edges thereof. Such portions of the material as are notintercepted by the roughened surfaces'will pass between members IO andwill return to the inner surface of the cylinder by reason of theirvelocity or gravity, or both. Since the material is repeatedly exposedto the air While passing from the cylinder surface to the device 9 andback to that surface with violent agitation in the air, it is thoroughlyaerated. Such aeration apparently has a beneficial effect on thecomminuted product. It seems to improve the flavor of oils fromvegetable materials.

While the above described apparatus is suitable for comminuting a Widevariety of materials, it is particularly useful in comminutingoil-bearing materials from which it is desired to liberate or remove theoil content, such for example, as coconut meat, cocoa beans, peanuts,cotton seeds, palm kernels and in general any vegetable oilcontainingmaterials. In employing the apparatus of Figs. 1 to 8 an method of thisinvention on such materials, it has been found that when the cylinderwas about 54 inches in diameter and was rotated at about 115 R. P. M.and there were about 96 members N1, each about 16 inches in diameter andspaced about A" and filled the space between the said flanges of thecylinder and were rotated at about 2500 R, P. M., about 100 lbs. ofdried, shredded coconut meat could be reduced to 100 mesh screen size inabout 12 minutes. Most of the oil content of the meat is liberatedduring such comminution and may be separated from the fibers in anysuitable manner, if desired. Preferably, the coconut meat should besubstantially dry before attempts are made to cut it by the apparatusand method here described, for it has been found that when the coconutmeat contains any substantial amount of moisture this method andapparatus does not cut it until it has been substantially dried by theheat generated by this method and apparatus. When the coconut meat issubstantially dry it is out very rapidly by the hereinabove describedmethod and apparatus. The excess moisture may be removed by theapparatus at the rate of about '1% per minute, for example, if a chargeof the material contains about excess moisture,

the processing time will be about 10 minutes longer than otherwise.

When cocoa beans, substantially free from hulls, are comminuted by theapparatus just described, about 200 lbs. may be reduced in about 18minutes to particle sizes such that about 99% will pass thru a 200 meshscreen. It has been noted that'when cocoa beans are being so comminuted,a white, thin vapor rises from the material during the first few, forexample three, minutes of the comminuting operation and is followed by athin, bluish vapor Which continues to rise during the remainder of theoperation. When the beans have been reduced to a coarse size, forexample possibly 40 or 50 mesh, the material is dry but as the particlesbecome smaller, oil is'liberated and the material includes more and moreliquid until, when the operation is completed, the material containssolids and liquid and has a viscosity of about 28 to 30 on a standard,

MacMichael torsion wire viscosimeter.

, The chocolate liquor so obtained has a much lower viscosity than thematerial obtained from the same kind of beans by prior methods, wherethe viscosity was about 70 to 72. This property of low viscosity isquite valuable in the subsequent manufacture of chocolate. Apparentlythe different viscosities are traceable to diiferences in shapes of thesmall particles, the particles comminuted by the present method andapparatus being granular as contrasted with the flattened flake-likeparticles of prior methods and apparatus. Sugar and/or milk may be addedto this liquor to make a chocolate.

Furthermore, chocolate made from cocoa beans,

cut by the present process, has a distinctly different flavor andquality than chocolate obtained from cocoa beans by prior methods.

Many other materials may be reduced to particle sizes from 50 to 60 meshdown to 100 mesh or finer by the above described apparatus and method.For example, cerealssuch as wheat and oats may be comminuted withproduction of particles of substantial uniformity in size and with muchless dust, powder or chaff than is possible with prior methods andapparatus. For example, when cereals having hulls, such as wheat, oatsand the like, are comminuted by this method and apparatus, both thehulls and the kernels are reduced to small particle sizes without theproduction of a material amount of bran or hull chaff.

From the foregoing disclosure it will be understood by those skilled inthe art that the present,

invention makes it possible to reduce awide variety of differentmaterials to particles which are substantially uniform in size and whichmay range in size from 50 or 60 mesh to 200 mesh; that such fineparticles may be obtained much faster and cheaper than has been possibleheretofore and without any harmful increase in temperature; and that thefine materials possess new and improved properties not heretoforeobtainable by any prior process or apparatus.

This application is a division of my copending application Ser. No.247,385, filed December 23, 1938, which isued on April 7, 1942, intoPatent No. 2,278,459. Other subject matter disclosed but not claimedherein is being claimed in my copending applications, Serial Nos.437,729 and 437,730, both filed on April 6, 1942.

Having thus described the present invention so that those skilled in theart may be able to understand and practice it, I state that what Idesire to secure by Letters Patent is defined in ly dry, shreddedcoconut to particles of about 100 mesh size by moving the coconutrapidly thru the air and. into contact with the edges of planar cuttingmeans rotating at a high velocity and thereby shearing or breaking thecoconut, permitting liberated vapors to escape from the material beingcomminuted, retaining oil released from said material, and continuingsuch treatment until the material has reached the desired fineness andthe maximum amount of oil has been released.

2. The method of making coconut emulsion which includes the steps ofsubjecting material consisting of substantially dry coconut meat tocentrifugal force and moving it rapidly in a circular path, deflectingthe material from said path thru the air and into contact with the edgesof rapidly rotating planar cutting means disposed at right angles, tosaid circular path and thereby shearing or breaking the coconut andretaining oil liberated thereby in contact with said material, andrepeating said steps until the fiber portions of said material have beenreduced to particles on the order of about 100 mesh size andsubstantially all the oil has been released.

3. The method of making coconut emulsion which includes the steps ofsubjecting material consisting of substantially dry coconut meat tocentrifugal force and moving it rapidly along a circular path,deflecting the material from said path thru the air and into contactwith the edges of rapidly rotating planar cutting means disposed atright angles to said circular path and thereby shearing or breaking thecoconut, and repeating said steps until the major amount of the oil ofsaid material has been liberated therefrom.

4. The method of making coconut emulsion which includes the steps ofsubjecting material consisting of substantially dry coconut meat tocentrifugal force and moving it rapidly along a circular path,deflecting the material from said path thru the air and into contactwith the edges of rapidly rotating planar cutting means disposed atright angles to said circular path and thereby shearing or breaking thecoconut, and repeating said steps until the major amount of the oil ofsaid material has been liberated therefrom and until substantially allthe fiber parts of the material have been reduced to sizes as small asabout 100 mesh size.

JAMES F. MCCASHEN.

